The Meat House – 1909 The meat house was yesteryear’s refrigeration used to keep butchered meat cool. The basic design principle was to make the structure cool and promote maximum airflow. Bundles of windmill grass provided insulation and were originally used in the walls and tied on the roof with raw cow hide. Outside are the remains of the original chopping block and a bench. Inside is a 2-layer rack made of wire rope and large mesh chicken wire for sitting cut meat. Due to the arrival of refrigeration, the meat house underwent a major re-fit in the 1930s. From then on it was used simply as a butchery and not as a cool room. A bench covered with galvanized iron that appears to be made from beaten flat drums (perhaps flour drums) was added inside. The outer walls, originally wire mesh stuffed with windmill grass, were replaced with sawn timber, corrugated iron and fly screen.​We would like to thank the Northern Territory Government for their generous funding assistance that enabled this restoration project.